Are viruses considered alive?

Are viruses considered alive? Then how could we kill them? Which came first, man or virus? Why do you think viruses infect humans the way they do? Do you think there would be an advantage to killing its host? What have you learned about the viruses that might prevent you from getting sick with one of them? If you... show more Are viruses considered alive? Then how could we kill them? Which came first, man or virus? Why do you think viruses infect humans the way they do? Do you think there would be an advantage to killing its host? What have you learned about the viruses that might prevent you from getting sick with one of them? If you were to get sick, which virus is most likely to make you miserable but the illness would be self-limited?

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Nope - they are not cellular and they have no internal metabolism on their own. We can kill them only when they infect living host cells - outside the cell, most viruses crystallize like a mineral and remain totally inert

> Then how could we kill them?
Destroy them, or destroy their functionality. Fortunately our adaptive immune system can do those things.

> Which came first, man or virus?
Viruses, of course. "Bacteriophage" viruses have plagued bacteria for billions of years.

> Why do you think viruses infect humans the way they do?
It's chemistry that results in more viruses being made to keep doing it.

> Do you think there would be an advantage to killing its host?
o Bacteria: yes. The lysis of the host cell releases the bacteriophages into the environment so that they can go and infect other bacteria that haven't already been infected.
o Human: no. When the human host dies, he's no longer running around infecting other people.

> What have you learned about the viruses that might prevent you from getting sick with one of them?
Avoid other people. They might be contagious.
o Avoid anyone who gives any appearance of being ill.
o Avoid air travel, or being in any location that recirculates air.
o Stay away from schools, supermarkets, workplaces, where there might be someone who is sick
o Don't share utensils or food
o etc.

> If you were to get sick, which virus is most likely to make you miserable but the illness would be self-limited?
The rhinoviruses that cause "the common cold."

Viruses are considered obligate parasites. They evolved from cells. They are bits and pieces of cells that require cells to reproduce. The ocean is full of viruses. They evolved long before humans did. They themselves have no means of obtaining energy or to convert organic molecules into energy for their own use. They are not considered living things. We kill them the same way we kill anything that works. For example, we can kill a cell phone by physically destroying it or by using electrical signals to disable it. We kill a satellite orbiting the earth by making it explode. Therefore we can "kill" things that are not living. We can kill viruses by destroying the protein that coats their DNA or RNA. The protein allows them to enter a cell and make the cells replicate their DNA. We can also kill them by destroying their DNA or RNA.